An unlawful ‘black hole’
My wife and I bought our house in France in 2001 with the aim of spending our retirement here.
Since moving here, severing all UK connections, we have tried to do everything correctly. We signed into the French health service and registered to be tax residents.
All went well until we tried to change our driving licences to French ones as they were due to expire, as well as our applications for cartes de séjour.
My wife received her new licence in good time. I, on the other hand, have not received mine. It is 18 months since I first applied and I have since made a second request.
My British licence has expired and, as I have no UK address, I can’t apply to have that renewed. The same thing seems to be happening with applications for the cartes de séjour. Once applied for, they disappear down a black hole, never to be seen again.
Many people believe they have been told not to process these items until after Brexit.
If this is the case, I would like to point out to the departments in question that until Brexit happens, officially I/we are still European citizens and to discriminate against us in this way is a breach of the law.
Michael J. Jones
Editor’s note: Eighteen months is long and coupled with the fact that your wife has received her licence, we suggest you contact Nantes via this link: tinyurl.com/y24l527s.
